STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

“I need to get out of here!” It’s a feeling shared by teenagers almost daily that is expressed loudly to anyone within earshot. And “here” is wherever you are at the moment—home, school, community. Just about anywhere else would be better than where you are.

Perhaps you recognize the symptoms. It’s seems the older you get the more claustrophobic your world becomes. Everybody is in your business and you need space. You’re ready for a new look, a change of scenery. And right about now, college seems like an inviting destination.

As eager as you might be to get up and go, though, the chances are there is a quiet voice inside you (never to be heard by anyone else!) that says something like, “I’m not sure I want to go. They feed me and let me drive their car. Besides, my friends are right around the corner. I actually have a good life here. Do I really have to leave?”

The answer is “yes.” At some point you will need to find a change of address. And, if that place will be a college, why not find one that bears the qualities of your home environment that you like—a place that includes people with shared values and interests, a place where people will encourage you on bad days and celebrate with you the good days? Why not find a community into which you can settle in comfortably?

When you think about it, the best college fit will be a place that offers a community in which you will feel comfortable. It will be a place where you won’t be distracted by worries about how you fit in. You won’t worry about what people think about you—how you talk, what you say, how you dress or what you think. You won’t have to prove yourself to anyone. Instead, you can relax and focus on getting the most out of your college experience and that includes, by the way, your academic work. There is a strong correlation between one’s comfort level in college—and one’s grade point average!

So, how do you find such a place? It’s hard to search the Internet for such a fit. Chat room conversations can be deceptive, as they tend to reflect only the opinions of those who participate. And the images you see in videos and viewbooks are rarely unattractive.

As a result, you will need to do some original research. Specifically, you need to experience college campuses and, in the process, be sensitive to your “gut” reactions. Quite often students who believe they’ve found the college of their dreams are hard-pressed to explain the attraction, except to say, “It’s a gut feeling. It feels right—like I would be at home.” As you think about living apart from the comforts of home, finding your niche is vitally important, so let your gut go to work for you.

What “gut feeling” do you hope to find as you look at colleges? Look for students who come from similar backgrounds—who share your interests and your loyalties. While they shouldn’t be exact clones of you, it’s a good sign if they are people from whom you can learn and around whom you can grow personally. In all likelihood, your gut will tell you when you have found people you’d like to get to know better.

Moreover, what does your gut tell you about a college’s inclination to stretch and support you through various aspects of your college experience? Do you sense that people in a given environment will encourage and support you in your journey of self-discovery? Based on your experience on college campuses, where do you see evidence that interaction with others will help broaden your perspective—get you to take risks and think outside of the box periodically? What does your gut tell you about how an environment will respond if you struggle? Will anyone know? Will anyone care?

The answers to these questions will help define the ideal college community for you. At a time in your life when you may be aching to get away and have a different experience, it’s vital that you “land” well when you get to college. Be careful not to react impulsively, as you consider your college “home away from home.” Be sure to test your reactions. Until you can experience such a place first hand and come away with a really strong, positive “gut feeling,” that feeling only exists in your imagination. Be prepared to visit campuses—and revisit and revise your list—as your college search continues until one day you know—it feels like home!

How comfortable are you around water? Are you a strong swimmer or do you struggle to keep your head above water? Are you comfortable venturing into the deeper water or do you prefer to wade into shallow water as long as the bottom is visible and the footing is certain? Most people expose themselves to water and swimming situations according to their respective levels of skill and comfort—no more, no less.

The same might be true as you assess your comfort level with different academic environments in search of a good college “fit.” Just as you might study a body of water to figure out its temperature, depth and current (relative to your levels of tolerance) before venturing in, you need to investigate the rigor, pace and depth of an academic environment—and your ability to keep your “head above water” if admitted—before deciding to apply.

When assessing academic rigor as an indication of “fit,” you are likely to find that you have the capacity to “get the job done” academically in a range of college environments. In other words, to follow the metaphor, you are not likely to have difficulty with the water itself. You will fit best, however, in environments where your ability and preparation enable you to rise to new levels of challenge.

Your objective, then, should be to find academic environments where your levels of ability and preparation will enable you to achieve well as you stretch yourself intellectually. These places represent appropriate “bodies of water” for you academically. The best sources of insight regarding your preparedness to meet the academic rigor of various colleges and universities are your high school teachers. Their familiarity with your capabilities can be invaluable in identifying the colleges where you will be well served academically.

Assuming you are able to identify appropriate environments academically, you now need to assess the competitiveness of your credentials for admission to those colleges. How does your record stack up with those of other candidates, most (about 90%) of whom are just like you in that they can do the work, too?

A helpful guide in this regard is to compare your credentials with those of students who are already enrolled at the college you are considering. You can do this by looking at the Admission Profile for that school’s most recent entering class. If your scores and GPA fall within the top quartile of those reported on the school’s profile, it’s a safe bet you will be a competitive candidate for admission to that school. While not a guarantee of admission, it is reassurance that you are looking in the right place. Your chances diminish incrementally, though, as your credentials fall below the top quartile.

You need to be honest in assessing this part of the picture, especially if you are considering schools that can be highly selective. A lot of students get in over their heads competitively when they fail to consider the odds of gaining admission. While you might feel you are a viable candidate at schools that can be very choosy, the reality is you need to be in the top 25% of an applicant pool to have a fighting chance of being admitted. By the way, you don’t increase your chances of getting into at least one such school by applying to a dozen of them!

Be smart, then, about choosing where to apply. Put yourself on competitive playing fields that are most appropriate given your skills and preparation. Whether you compete in the pool or on the stage or in the classroom, you have the best chance of finding success when your skills prove your capacity to do the work and are competitive with those around you. Put yourself into competition where you fit best and enjoy the success that is bound to come your way both as a candidate for admission and as a subsequently enrolled student.

For further discussion on the essential elements of finding a good fit in the college search process check out the 2/15 webcast, “How to Find the Best College Fit” in the Best College Fit Webcast Archive.

Myth: All colleges and universities are alike.

Reality: This country boasts a broad array of more than 3,000 colleges and universities dedicated to providing post-secondary educational opportunities. Their personalities, curricula and institutional cultures vary, though, as greatly as 3,000 sets of fingerprints!

Think about what this means for you. While your educational needs can be met at many places, it would be a mistake to assume they will be met in the same manner—or, more importantly, in a manner that is well suited to your learning style. Choosing well, then, is essential to your eventual success.

Finding a good college fit begins with identifying places that provide the program you need and a style of instruction that is most comfortable for you. Just as students possess unique learning styles—they each process information differently—colleges offer different styles of instruction. Let’s suppose, for example, you want to study Biology. Some colleges will teach Biology in seminars that include 25-30 students. Some teach it in lecture halls of five hundred! Yet others will attach labs to the instruction or offer research opportunities.

In each case, the material is the basically same—bio is bio—but the experience is different. The important questions are, “How would you function in these different environments? What sort of interaction do you want to have with the information that is being presented?”

In order to find the learning environments that make the most sense for you, take stock of your learning style. How do you like to be engaged with learning? Who or what inspires you? Under what circumstances are you most likely to produce your best work? The more you know about how you like to learn, the easier it will be to make critical distinctions among the learning environments of different colleges.

Consider the following questions as you try to “get your arms around” your learning style. Be particularly attentive to the “why” part of each question.

• Who is your favorite teacher—and why?
• What is your favorite class right now—and why?
• In which type of classroom setting (e.g., large group lectures, seminars, etc.) are you most comfortable—and why?
• With what kinds of people and personalities do you enjoy exchanging ideas—and why?

As you reflect on your answers—especially the “whys”—you come to better understand the characteristics of a learning environment that would be the most appropriate for you in college. The next step is to look for colleges that mirror these characteristics. They will be the best fits for you.

If, for example, your approach to learning is to take good notes, read diligently and prepare carefully—all in the relative anonymity of the large lecture hall, then you are more likely to function comfortably in a larger, more expansive instructional setting. On the other hand, if you like the engagement of a small classroom where you can ask questions—where you can challenge and be challenged—then the seminar format will be more productive for you.

Now, consider the consequences of failing to be attentive to the information you are gleaning about your learning style. If you do prefer the large lecture hall experience—but you’ve chosen a college where most of your classes put you front and center around the seminar table, won’t you feel like the proverbial “fish out of water?” On the other hand, if you really like the engagement of the small classroom but find yourself in a setting that features lectures of 300 or more students—all the time—will that learning environment bring out the best in you? In the final analysis, you are more likely to get the most out of your ability when you find yourself in an environment that is well suited to the way you learn.

Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Take the time, then, to get to know yourself—and the circumstances in which you learn most comfortably. In doing so, you put yourself in a better position to make good choices that reflect your interests and needs.

Students often enter the college search process with specific academic programs or career interests in mind. And why not? If you know what you want to study in college, the best places are those that will accommodate your interests and support your strengths. For example, if you want to pursue chemical engineering, focus on schools that offer it. The same is true whether your interests lie in business, elementary education, or graphic design.

As you look at colleges, be careful not to compromise in your pursuit of such passions. If you want to pursue film studies, but a college you are considering doesn’t offer a very substantive program in that area, then you need to recognize early that it is not a good fit. You owe it to yourself to look into colleges that offer strong programs that meet your needs in your areas of interest.

In particular, don’t let emotional interests override your academic priorities. Embracing a college or university simply on the merit of its overall ranking or reputation, or because it has a great athletic program or is in a location you like, on the assumption you’ll be able to figure out the academic piece later, is not wise. When you do that, you become “destination-centered” and set yourself up for frustration down the line. Think about it. How often do you hear about students transferring because the colleges they have chosen don’t offer the programs they want to study?

If, on the other hand, you are still searching for that passion and you don’t feel drawn to a particular career interest or academic direction, don’t worry. You’re normal. It’s difficult to know at any age what you’ll do for the rest of your life, so relax. Don’t get hung up on what you don’t know—see those “deficiencies” as opportunities. You’ve got a lot of time to sort them out.

If you are “undecided,” the more important questions are, “Do you have the desire to learn—to discover the many truths that define you and the world in which you live?” and, if so, “Can you find the relevance of what you are learning to the various pathways you might choose in life?”

Hopefully, the answer to both questions is, “Yes.” If so, look for places that will encourage you to explore various perspectives and draw from diverse experiences that will form the building blocks that are foundational to your future direction. Whatever you do, don’t succumb to the notion that there is something wrong if your future plans are not laid out in great detail.

You’ll be fine. Hundreds of institutions across the country—liberal arts colleges as well as universities with robust general studies programs—are eager to embrace the undecided student. You just need to plan accordingly to give yourself options. (For more insight into dealing with indecision, check out my April 13, 2011 blog, “Seize the Opportunity in Indecision.”

In summary, go into the college selection process with your eyes wide open! Be true to your passions. Don’t abandon your academic needs in favor of factors that will have little or no impact on your learning experience. Be careful about adding schools to your list that don’t offer academic flexibility if, indeed, what you really need is the opportunity to explore. If you are undecided about your future academic directions, yet find yourself looking at an application for admission that requires you to declare a major as you apply for admission, you are looking at an institution that is not a good fit for you.

Did You Know…

• You will probably change your major in college? Most college students do at least once.
• Most students enter college “undeclared” with regard to a major?
• The odds are that you will change jobs at least four times and change careers twice?
• Many colleges report that 80-90% of the people who graduated more than 25 years ago are now in careers that did not exist when they graduated?

At this time of year, a new batch of college applicants is gearing up for the next admission season. Despite great expectations, happy outcomes will be largely dependent on the student’s ability to stay focused academically while avoiding some of the common mistakes that doom otherwise very promising candidates. Keys to successful management of the process involve making good choices, building relationships with colleges and managing expectations.

Make Good Choices
The mistake: Many students assume they don’t have to worry about the admission process until they formally become applicants in their senior year.

The reality: Students become college applicants the day they become high school freshmen. Everything counts. In fact, every day presents opportunities for decision-making that will have a bearing on how you live the next day—and beyond.

The key: Key areas of choice involve academic preparedness, extracurricular engagement and the application process itself. While it is not healthy—or practical—to obsess on any of these, students need to understand their accountability for good decision-making. Choosing well at every turn strengthens the student’s credential and reduces the potential for discriminating admission committees to say “no.”

Build Relationships with Colleges
The mistake: Students don’t take advantage of opportunities to get on the “radar screens” of college admission officers before they submit their applications.

The reality: Admission officers are looking for evidence of engaged interest. In fact, they are keeping track of a student’s interest from his/her first contact through the end of the admission process.

The solution is to demonstrate interest. As you get to know colleges, make sure you get credit for the things you do. Get credit for attending information sessions and visiting campuses by filling out information cards/forms. More importantly, take advantage of opportunities to demonstrate your understanding of the “fit” that exists between yourself and the institution.

The key: A key person in this equation is the admission officer responsible for recruiting in your area. Turn to this person with important questions that are bound to emerge as you learn about the institution and begin to prepare your application. Ask thoughtful questions. Be respectful and judicious as you extend yourself. While you don’t want to come to be regarded as a pest, the last thing you want is for admission officers to question the depth or sincerity of your interest.

Manage Expectations
The mistake: Students assume that the more “reach” schools to which they apply, the better are the chances of getting into at least one.

The reality: It rarely works that way—especially if financial aid is needed. Not only is applying, somewhat arbitrarily, to a long list of schools likely to be an exercise in futility, it distracts students from giving quality attention to the applications they submit to colleges that represent the best fits for them.

It is important to avoid confusing admissibility with competitiveness at a given college. The odds are that you will be admissible—you can do the work in the classroom—at most of the colleges that materialize on your long list. Will you be competitive, however? Do you possess credentials that make you among the most highly valued candidates?

The key: The key is to manage expectations. Target places that make sense for you: colleges where your credentials put you in the top half—if not the top quartile—of the admitted student profile from past entering classes. This will be an indicator that you are squarely on the competitive “playing field” at that school and you are more likely to be valued for what you have to offer academically.

In the final analysis, there can be no outcome guarantees in college planning—and it is not healthy nor constructive to regard the process as a matter of acquiring a prize or a particular “destination.” You can, however, be careful to avoid some of the common missteps that plague potential applicants each year and, in the process, remain diligent in searching out places that represent good fits for you.

The end of April marks the conclusion of a long search and selection journey as you find yourself on the threshold of your new college home. After years of preparation and months of speculation, admission outcomes are finally known and the decision-making is nearly complete. Soon, the enrollment “check is in the mail”—literally. Let the celebration begin!

You need to be careful, though, as you celebrate. The following are points to consider as you move through this exciting transition in your life.

1. Stay focused academically. While an overwhelming sense of relief is washing over you—and all you want to do is kick back, relax, and enjoy the moment—don’t lose sight of what got you to this point. A quick re-read of the not-so-fine print on your acceptance letter tells the story. In offering you a place in its entering class, the admission committee expects you to complete your senior year at no less than the same level of performance that was evident when it decided to accept you.

Many colleges, particularly those that are highly selective, will monitor your academic performance right up to the end. In order to complete your enrollment, you will need to submit a final transcript confirming your graduation from high school. If your transcript reveals measurable declines in your program or performance, you may suddenly find your enrollment status in jeopardy as colleges are known to revoke their offers—and the actual enrollments—of students whose final transcripts fail to measure up to expectations. When I was Dean of Admission, I had to send 6-8 such letters each summer. It was, for obvious reasons, one of the least pleasant things I would have to do as Dean.

So what does this mean for you? It doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the rest of the year. However, you do need to keep going to class! Resist the temptation to drop courses. Take final exams. Think of such actions as “insurance.” Don’t fall prey to the intellectual comas that seem to overcome students at the end of the senior year. The last thing you want to see is a letter from the Dean of Admission sometime later this summer informing you that you no longer have a place in the entering class at that school.

2.    Commit to one college! In the face of multiple options, it may be tempting to submit enrollment deposits to more than one college in order to give yourself more time to make the final choice. Don’t do it! Hard as it might be to make the call by the May 1 Candidates’ Reply date, that’s what you need to do. Just as admission officers review final transcripts, they are also prone to comparing enrollment rosters with colleagues at peer institutions.

If your name appears on the enrollment rosters at more than one school, be prepared for the consequences. It is not uncommon for a dean of admission to arbitrarily withdraw a student’s enrollment at her/his school out of respect for the student’s commitment to another school—not the kind of surprise you want to encounter after you have graduated from high school! Imagine if the Deans at both schools took the same action!

Do the smart and ethical thing.  Make one commitment and honor it. The possible exception to this well-documented rule involves the sequence of events following admission from a college’s Wait List. Should you be committed to one college when another offers you a place from its Wait List, you may accept the latter offer. In doing so, however, it is understood that you must forfeit your initial deposit at the first college.

3.    Complete the financial aid process. The fact that you have received—and accepted—a need-based financial aid award doesn’t mean the process is over. You have accepted the award on the condition that you and your parents will submit tax returns for 2010 in order to verify the data that was reported on your financial aid applications. Even if you are not receiving need-based assistance from the institution, you should complete the FAFSA application if you wish to secure un-subsidized student loans and campus work-study opportunities funded by the federal government. Most schools that award merit scholarship programs will require that you have a completed FAFSA on file as well.

Finally, be sure to report any scholarships you receive from community organizations to the college you will attend. These awards will be credited to the cost of attendance.

4.    Be safe! Tragically, the best of times can turn quickly into the worst of times for young people as they revel in their achievements. Have a good time but take care of yourself!

The next six weeks are indeed a time for celebrating both happy endings and new beginnings. Having made your college selection, it would seem all that is left before you’re “outta here” is the pomp and circumstance of graduation. As you pause to reflect and enjoy the moment, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture that continues to unfold before you.

Congratulations and best wishes!

College planning seems to come naturally—and excitedly—to the families of talented, high achieving students. It’s the highly anticipated next step into something bigger and better academically. The dream of college is no less important, however, to families of students whose academic experiences don’t put them on the same trajectory. Everyone counts and needs to be supported in achieving his/her goals.

The following exchange I had with a parent following a presentation of “The Admission Game” might speak to some of the concerns you may have as you engage in the college planning process.

Parent: How can I relate this discussion to students that are not in the upper 1/3 of their class? Case in point, my son. You mentioned that the ‘light went on’ for your son in his junior year of high school. For my Junior, that has not happened yet.

PVB: The light goes on for each young person at a different time in life and, often, in response to very different stimuli. The problem is that it rarely happens according to the timetables we have in mind for our kids! It is important, then, that he be guided in calibrating his planning for the future in a way that is respectful of his learning path. If college is in the picture, he should look at places that will see the potential within him and demonstrate a willingness to help him develop it.

Parent: Okay, so what can we do next? What is the process for a kid who will graduate with modest grades and fair SAT scores, and has some decent community service involvement? My son has many excellent qualities—most people think he is a ‘great kid!’ He plays varsity soccer and writes for the newspaper but just doesn’t give his schoolwork the time he needs to succeed.

PVB: Have you asked him what he wants to do? I often find that asking a young person point blank: “Why do you want to go to college?” helps provide a beginning point for the conversation. One of the most humbling experiences of my professional life took place when my daughter asked me (very sheepishly) what I thought about the possibility that she might not go to college right away! Suddenly, it occurred to me that I had been working with my agenda for her rather than checking to see what she might have in mind!

I have no doubt that your son is a great kid AND that he will find a direction that enables him to do a lot of wonderful things in life. He may just need a little space (and support) to figure that out on his own. If you go that route (of providing space), be prepared for the possibility that college may not be his first/best option right out of high school. And that’s okay. Admission officers agree that a “gap year” (or two) can be an incredibly healthy and productive choice for an 18-year old. Besides, you wouldn’t believe the number of kids who are wasting their parents’ money in college these days! Oh, they’re having a good time, but they don’t really appreciate the opportunity (to become educated) that is at their fingertips. Rather, they’re in college because they figure that’s what they’re supposed to do after high school!

If your son does articulate a desire to pursue college right out of high school, consider having him look at local community colleges or universities where he can test the water (and build his confidence) one step at a time. I’d also urge him to talk with someone (teacher, counselor) who can objectively lead him through the reflective aspects of self-awareness before helping him to think about possible college destinations. If you focus on a student-centered orientation to college, you’ll be amazed at how well this can turn out!

Parent: That’s helpful. It appears, though, like every college we look at online only admits kids above a 3.0 GPA or a very small percentage below that.

PVB: Don’t be misled. Many colleges are reporting mid-points—not cut-offs—for testing and GPAs. By the way, I recommend using online college search mechanisms that will give your son an opportunity to enter information about himself (academic and personal) that is in turn used to identify prospective colleges for him. Again, a student-centered orientation…

Parent: How is the process different if you are applying to transfer after a successful freshman year at a less selective school or even a community college?

PVB: First, you must realize that the more selective schools only offer transfer admission on a space availability basis. In some years, that may mean there is little or no transfer activity. That said, the process is basically the same except the focus academically now rests on the college experience. The high school record, including extracurricular activities, has less impact. I would also observe that the “playing field” is not level with regard to money. Kids who don’t need assistance have a much better chance of getting in as transfer applicants. Finally, if he wants to transfer, he definitely needs to make the case for himself IN PERSON! An on-campus interview is a must!

Parent: This is encouraging. Many people I know who are very successful admit to being C+ students in high school and you seem to be saying there are colleges that can see a kid’s potential and not get hung up on stats.

PVB: You got it! Your son will be fine. He just needs to find his way. Your support and patience will mean a lot as he explores his options.

I trust you find this type of exchange useful. If you find yourself in need of a friendly voice in the college planning process, please contact me at Peter@TheAdmissionGame.com.

If you are 16-17 years old and you don’t know what you want to do for the rest of your life, you are—NORMAL!

I see a lot of evidence that students are hung up on the college search process because they don’t know what they want to do—as though having a major (and a career) all sorted out is a prerequisite to going to college! Guess again. Figuring out your direction in life is what a college education should do for you!

While it is easy to understand that families want some tangible evidence of their likely “return” on dollars invested in education, the reality is that most kids simply aren’t ready or well enough informed to make career decisions when they are seventeen! If you are contemplating your college options, consider these statistics:

• You will probably change your major in college! Most students (about 65%) change their minds about their majors at least once while they are in college. Half of them change their minds twice.
• Many colleges report that 80-90% of the people who graduated more than 25 years ago are now in careers that did not exist when they graduated.
• About 85% of the parents I survey indicate they are no longer in the careers they intended to pursue when they were 18 years old!

What does this say about the importance of “knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life” before you start college? Hopefully, the data gives you pause and allows you to relax. It also reinforces the need to find colleges that fit you best.

Look into colleges that offer strong programs that meet your needs. The good news is that there are hundreds of great places that welcome students who are undecided about their futures! These are the same places that produce doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, accountants, curators and business executives from among the thousands of undecided students who enter their doors each year.

So, if you are still searching for some direction, don’t worry. You’re normal. It’s difficult to know at any age what you’ll do for the rest of your life, so relax. Seize the opportunity to explore. Turn your indecision into an opportunity that opens doors to learning at colleges that fit you well. Moreover, know that you’ve got a lot of time to figure out what the rest of your life will look like.

Take advantage of your college years to become educated about a lot of things including yourself and the world around you. In doing so, learn how to learn. Even if you have pretty firm ideas about a career, your ability to process information and think critically will put you in good stead wherever you might find yourself in life.

Finally, if you want to have some fun, ask your parents to talk about their career aspirations when they were your age. The odds are they had vastly different ideas back then about what they would be doing at this point in their lives! Find out what influenced their thinking if and when they discovered new interests. What, if any, changes would they make? Just as most people of your parent’s generation followed pathways to success that they couldn’t imagine when they were your age, you need to be flexible in finding and following your path. A good college “fit,” then, is one that will encourage you in this direction.